Sunday, September 21, 2008
Life, Health + Fitness

Reform School

You haven’t tried Pilates until you’ve been on a Reformer. It makes mat class look like playtime

By Colleen Oakley

I rarely listen to "The Bert Show," simply because I’m a freelance writer and have no need to be in my car from 5 to 10 in the morning (one of the many perks of working from home). But on a few occasions that I have caught it, I’ve heard Jenn Hobby talking about her new workout routine with Peter Pilates. It sounded intense, so I got his digits and called him to set up an appointment.
I got his voicemail, which starts off with: “Wassssuuup.” I thought I had dialed the wrong number, and then I started laughing. This guy was going to be a lot of fun.

When he called me back, we decided that I should come to his studio InTown Pilates for a one-hour mat session to learn the basic principles before I got to use the Reformer.

Peter Pilates (real name: Peter Poulos) looks like he’s been doing Pilates his whole life. He’s been teaching it for 10 years, and he’s a professional dancer, hence his envy-inducing long, lean physique.

He began the hour-long class with some roll-ups (exactly what they sound like—you lay down on the mat, and roll your body up into a seated position). Then we moved right into the Pilates 100, where you sit on your bum and your chest and legs are pointed out into a “v,” then you wave your hands up and down by your thighs for 100 counts. My stomach muscles were already shaking from the contraction. Not a good sign when there are 53 minutes left in class. Peter then took us through various leg, arm and core exercises. He explained everything very simply and walked around correcting our form and breathing techniques. Even though there were three people in the class, there was a lot of individualized attention.

Two days later, I came back for the Reformer, a big rectangular piece of wood, with a sliding mat on it and lots of cables. That and its big sister, the Cadillac, actually look like weird sex machines and they’re a little intimidating. But again, Peter’s confidence set me at ease. He talked me through every exercise, told me what it was working, reminded me to hold my “Pilates baby” (my stomach) in, and still managed to carry on a totally normal conversation about our lives.

On the Reformer, every movement is about four times harder than on the mat, because the cables add a lot of resistance. You never do more than about eight reps of any one exercise, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but the movements are so intense and controlled, by the time Peter gets to the five count, you’re ready to be done.

After an hour on the Reformer, when every muscle in my body was talking to me, Peter put me up on the Cadillac, where I put my feet up on a trapeze and suspended myself upside down in the air. I was a little scared at first, but it ended up being a great stretch for my back.

After trying it out for two days, I can definitely say that Jenn Hobby’s not joking when she talks about how tough her workouts are. If the Intown Pilates studio is a reform school, Peter Pilates is Teacher of the Year. SP
Colleen Oakley is a freelance writer in Atlanta and the former editor of Women’s Health & Fitness magazine. Got a fitness challenge for her? E-mail her at colleen@sundaypaper.com.